Left in the Dark
by Anime-Angel-Ash
Summary: Rika is stabbed by a mysterious low-life, and left in the dark night, presumed dead. Meanwhile, all the information Ryo has is a short message from Henry, which leaves him completely in the dark. Ryuki. Complete.
1. Left in the Dark

Hi readers! It's me again! This time though, I'm writing a tamers fic. It's slightly angsty, but I'm sure it will turn out to be a good story.

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon. It belongs to some unnamed people in Japan. Oh, and Bandai. And those other guys I can't remember right now. Oh, and this disclaimer will be serving for the whole story so I don't have to come up with new ways to say, "I don't own digimon" every chapter. I should only have to say it once anyway.

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As the sun sank behind the buildings of Tokyo into the western sky and the streetlights began to come on, the crowds on the usually busy main street began to thin. Friends said their goodbyes and headed home to their families. Parents, exhausted, piled their children into the backseats of cars and gratefully drove home. People finished up their grocery shopping and headed home at the end of what seemed to be a long day for everyone.

Soon, the street was completely empty except for a stray cat and the trash left behind by the crowd.

Soon after, as the darkness of night began to slowly settle in, footsteps began echoing along the empty street. Rika Nonaka, hands in her pockets and her eyes on the ground, slowly made her way down the avenue. The redhead kicked at a wrapper from a McDonald's burger, sighing, and turned her violet eyes up to the twinkling stars above. Since Renamon and the other digimon had disappeared from her life Rika hadn't seen much of her friends, and mostly confined herself to her house. However, she would often find herself taking walks at night, where it didn't seem as though the walls were closing in on her.

She turned her attention from the stars to the street before her. She saw no movement, except that of the stray cat. 'Good,' she thought. 'I'm alone. I'll actually be able to think.' However, she soon found out that she was wrong about being alone.

As she passed by a darkened alleyway between a fast food restaurant and an electronics shop, a voice rang out of the shadows. "Hey," it said, "What's a cute little girl like yourself doin' here at a time like this?" Rika stopped and turned her head, squinting into the darkness. After a moment, a figure emerged from the darkness and sauntered into view. He had stringy black hair that looked like it hadn't been washed it quite a while. On his wrist was a spiked bracelet and he was dressed in almost all black, including a black leather jacket. In his hand was a lighter, which he quickly placed in his pocket. Along with the looks he had a grudge-like air about him.

Normally, this would be Rika's type of guy, but it would have been under two conditions, which where that she actually knew him and that she didn't meet him in a dark alleyway with nobody else around.

"I'm not a cute little girl," Rika started, her tone holding her trademark disgust. "And I was just leaving." With that, Rika turned away from the guy and started continuing down the street.

"Wait, wait, wait." Said the guy, walking a little faster to catch up to her. "Where you goin' hot stuff?"

Rika grimaced at being called "hot stuff". "Away from you," she said simply, not looking back at him.

"Oh come on." He said, stepping in front of her. "Stick around sweet thing. I'm sure you'd enjoy my company." A sly smiling lit his face as his arms snaked around Rika's waist, much to the girl's rage and disgust.

She roughly pulled from his grip and shoved him away. "Back off Pyro." She barked, glaring. "You can't just pick me up off the street, that's not my style. Now back off, or I'll kicked your sorry ass." As she spoke the last few words, she did a round kick as a warning that she was not kidding. After this, she quickly spun around and started walking back the way she came, shaking her head in distaste.

As she passed by the alleyway where the guy had first appeared from, Rika felt something clamp on her ponytail and yanked her back. She yelped in surprise more than pain and soon found herself looking up into the face of the guy. "You can pick up anyone off the street if you want." He hissed, sending shivers down Rika spine. She could feel his breath on her face, and it held the scent of stale tobacco.

Quickly, Rika elbowed him in the stomach, then sent a backward kick into his knee. The combination was enough to make him let go of her. She made to run down the street and escape, but it was too little, too late. She felt a hand seize her arm and she was suddenly flung backward into a cluster of trashcans. Her head hit smashed into the brick wall, causing Rika to yell in pain. She and grabbed her throbbing head, jaws clenched, and she found she was bleeding from the forehead. Then, she was then roughly forced up and shoved against the wall. Rika yelled again out as a torrent pain throbbed through her back.

"You've got some nerve don't ya, you little bitch?" asked the guy, holding Rika up by her shoulders.

"Fuck you!" screamed Rika, kicking him in the stomach with all the power she could muster. Gasping and coughing, the guy doubled over, letting Rika drop into the pile of trash. Again, Rika tried to make a break for it. However, she stopped when a searing pain went through stomach. She screamed, grabbing at her stomach and found the hilt of a blade sticking from her flesh. Blood spouted from the wound, covering Rika's hands in the crimson liquid. She fell to her side in the pile of trash, grasping her stomach. Her body started shaking, both from fear and from the burning pain of the wound. Then, she heard a triumphant chuckling above her.

"To bad." Said the voice of the guy from above Rika. Rika screamed once again as the blade was roughly pulled from her stomach, letting the blood flow freely. "You were a cute one too." Rika faintly heard footsteps walking away and the flicking of the lighter. Then, there was silence.

She lay there, trying to breathe; though it almost seemed as if she'd forgotten how to do it properly. She felt the warm blood soaking through her clothes. Minutes passed, then a half-hour, then an hour. However, it felt much longer to Rika. The seconds stretched longer and longer as she lay there, trying desperately to breath. She tried to yell for help; maybe someone would hear her, but she just couldn't find her voice. She lay there in the pile of trash, losing more and more blood. She could see it now by the light of the moon, spreading across the ground in a red puddle. Soon, the world around her began to blur. Darkness ate away at the sides of her vision, and she knew she was going to die. She couldn't explain it, but before she passed into darkness, her last conscious thought was of Ryo.

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AN: Well readers, that was the eventful first chapter. Don't worry though, Rika is not dead, she's just unconscious. I wouldn't end it like that. That wouldn't even be a story! I won't tell you if this story has a sad or happy ending, you'll just have to wait and see.


	2. Red on Silver

Well readers, here's chapter 2. I hope you guys like it. You'll tell me won't you? Please?

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At the time of all this, Henry was at home, reading a book in the living room. He wasn't really focusing on the book however. The words swam disorderly across the page, for his mind was on Terriermon. Next to him, Susie was being unusually quite and solemn. Henry knew she was probably thinking about Lopmon and Terriermon. Henry sighed and looked at his father, or more, the back of his father's head. Henry still hadn't forgiven him for not telling him the truth. It was not something that could be forgiven so easily anyway. Henry closed his eyes for a moment, then shut his book with a snap.

"I'm going for a walk." He said plainly, getting to his feet and setting the book down. His father sighed deeply and nodded. He knew Henry was still cross with him, so he didn't delay the boy.

Henry looked at his father once more, then grabbed his coat and slipped it on as he walked out the door. He also grabbed his cellphone and slipped it in his pocket before closing the door behind him.

A few minutes of aimless walking later, Henry found himself on one of the main streets. He smiled slightly to himself; Rika use to hang out here. She had become such a good friend, much better than the person she was when they first met had. Renamon had been the same. He chuckled; Rika and Renamon had made quite the team. However, following this moment of happiness was a feeling of woe. When the digimon had disappeared, Rika had done the same. She wouldn't answer his calls, and when he did go to her house, her grandmother said that Rika hadn't been feeling well. Henry sighed deeply at the thought.

He looked up at the sky, and saw the clouds slowly drifting out of the way of the moon. The moon cast light across the whole street, bathing it in blue light. The sight was nearly cinematic.

However, his attention was distracted from its beauty when he heard he heard something nearby. Blinking, he stopped walking and looked around. The sound was quick and quiet. It sounded like…breathing. Henry held still completely still and found that the noise appeared to be coming from an alley to his left. He turned and saw something lying among a pile of trash and overturned garbage cans. He kneeled next to the pile and put a hand down on the thing. It was breathing. This was a person.

As the last of the clouds moved away from the moon, the outlines of the person became more defined. Whoever it was was on their stomach, so he couldn't see their face. Slowly he turned the person over onto their back. When he saw the face of the person, his heart skipped a beat. It was Rika, and her face was twisted in an expression of agony.

"Rika?" Henry asked, shocked and terrified. She didn't answer. She just sustained the pattern of sharp breathing, completely unaware of Henry's presence. Henry grabbed her sides and shook her cautiously, trying to wake her up. Then, he noticed his hands were warm, sticky and wet.

Hoping against hope that this wasn't what he thought it was, he lifted his hands into the light. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw that they were smeared with blood. "Oh lord." He whispered.

His panic began to quickly worsen and he forced himself to remain calm. At least, he tried. He checked her pulse and became even more fearful when he noticed it was dangerously slow.

Quickly, he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. The silver coat immediately smeared with blood, but he didn't care. He stumbled with it for a minute, but finally got it open and immediately began to dial, smearing the numbers 9 and 1 with blood.

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AN: Sorry that was so short. I just wanted to get this out as quickly as possible, since I've kept you waiting long enough already. I wanted to add some more stuff, but that'll end up coming later I guess.


	3. Message Recieved

Well, I didn't make you wait as long as I did last time. That's a good thing I guess ; Anyway, here's chapter 3.

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"This line is out of range, please leave a message after the tone," said the annoying, automated, female voice. Henry gritted his teeth and snarled. "THERE'S NO TIME FOR THAT!" he yelled into the phone before smashing the off button. "Damn it Ryo," Henry cursed through gritted teeth "Where are you?"

Henry looked over his shoulder at the others. Takato and Jeri were there, as was Rika's mother and grandmother. Rika's mother was sobbing uncontrollably into her open hands, her make-up seeping through her fingers. Rika's grandmother was trying to comfort her, but was not very convincing; she was sobbing as well. Takato was consoling a weeping Jeri, holding her tightly in a comforting embrace. There was an expression of sadness and strain on his face that showed that he too was close to tears. The only one that wasn't there was Ryo.

Henry took a deep breath and slowly dialed the number again, much more calmly. He winced when some of the blood that had dried on the "1" cracked under his finger. He waited as the phone rang three times before the message he heard far to many times for his liking came on. "This line is out of range, please leave a message after the tone,"

Never before had he hated that voice as much as he did now. However, sighing in assent, Henry finally resigned to the idea that Ryo was not going to pick up. So as the tone went off, he spoke. "Alright Ryo," he said, rubbing his left temple. "It's obvious you aren't going to pick up, so here's the situation…"

Meanwhile, Ryo was in a situation with not nearly as big of a problem. In fact, he had just gotten away from one. He was leaning against one of the windows of the plane, snoring, drool dripping from his mouth. One would actually say he looked rather comical. He was coming back from China, where he had gone to see his grandmother on his father's side. It wouldn't have been so bad, but unfortunately he didn't speak Chinese, and she didn't speak Japanese. Overall, it had been quite the unfavorable time, and he was glad it was over.

He was also very happy to get some sleep, but was unfortunately jolted awake when the captain's voice rang through the coach section, announcing to everyone that the fasten seatbelt sign had been turned on. Grumbling, Ryo buckled his seatbelt and looked out the window, listening to people all around him clicking their belts into place as well. Below, Ryo could see the sun coming up over the ocean and spreading light over his beloved Japan. He heaved a sigh of relief at seeing his home country. It would be nice to get back to a place where everyone spoke Japanese.

He put his hands behind his head and made himself comfortable as the plane landed. He'd defiantly have to share this particular story with Rika.

Not long after, Ryo was on the bus headed for home. The slow-moving bus putted through the street of Tokyo. He sighed out of boredom and looked out the window. He leaned his head against the glass, watching the people and scenery of Tokyo went by. Could this bus go any slower????

With yet another sigh, Ryo pulled out his cellphone in hopes of playing some games to pass the time. However, he quickly forgot that when he saw he had several messages. He set up the answering machine and placed the phone against his ear. "Ryo!" said Henry's voice urgently, "Pick up the phone! This is important!" There was a short pause before an exasperated groan of frustration that ended the message. Ryo raised an eyebrow at this, and continued to the next message.

Again, it was Henry, and again he said basically the same thing. This continued for about four more messages. Rather annoyed by this time, Ryo looked out the window at the city. It seemed to be in good shape, so obviously whatever it was that Henry found so urgent didn't really require Ryo's presence.

Willing the phone not to give him another message from Henry, Ryo played the last message. He groaned in exasperation when Henry's voice yet again came from the receiver. However, this time the message was different.

#Alright Ryo. # Said Henry's voice, #It's obvious you aren't going to pick up, so here's the situation.

# Rika…she's hurt. We don't know for sure what happened to her. I…I found her in a pile of garbage off the main street. She was bleeding pretty badly. The doctors said it looks like a stab wound. I don't know how long she'd been there, but she lost a lot of blood. She… # Henry's voice paused, and a gulping noise came from the phone. It seemed that whatever Henry was going to say next, it wasn't really something he wanted to speak. # She may not live, # Henry finished. # By the time you get this message Ryo, she may be gone, but please try to get here. I think she'd want to see you. # With that, the familiar click of a phone hanging up sounded, and the last message ended.

Ryo sat completely silent in a state of shock. Not surprising, seeing as he just heard one of his best friends was dying and he might not to get see her again. The phone slowly slipped out of his hand and bounced onto the seat, where it came to rest. "Rika," was all Ryo had the sense to say.

Yeah, yeah I know. Crappy ending. And no this is not the end of the fic, just the chapter. Like I'd be stupid enough to end it there.

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Anyway, I've already started thinking about the end of the fic. I think I'll probably do alternative endings. A happy one for those of you who like happy endings to sad stories, and a sad one for those of you who enjoy a good weep.

Anyway, as usual, please R&R, even if it's a bad review. Getting a review at all always makes my day. Man I love that face.


	4. Concrete is not Your Friend

Hi people! Sorry this chap took so long to put up. Life's been incredibly stressful. And I'm not kidding.

The basketball season just ended last Monday and I'd had practice almost every night and somehow still needed to incorporate my Japanese classes on Tuesdays, which I'm still taking, not to mention the Honor Society meetings that pop up out of no where. Moreover, my honor's english projects were due and I'd been racing to get them done, the Honor Society induction ceremony was the 26th of February, and I had a basketball game the same night. Also, the trimester's ending and I was overloaded with math redos seeing as if I didn't redo them I'd have been failing math and would have got kicked off the basketball team and the honor society. Also, I just turned in my social studies project yesterday, which I left till the last minute to finish, and I was really nervous about making the presentation. And on top of that, I still have to deal with the normal amount of homework and social life and still incorporate bits free time, which have been few and far between lately. Gasps for breath

And yeah, that's about it. But since it's Saturday, and it's the beginning of Spring Break, and most of the stuff stated above is done and over with, I thought I might as well finish this up.

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The streets of Tokyo were busy that morning, with people bustling about doing their daily chores. Children were dragged through the street by their mothers, who were as nervous and stressed as the day was long. Teenagers were making their way to the food courts and leaned against shop walls, loitering meaningless. Several nicely dressed men did their best to get through the crowd, nervously looking at their watch from time to time. After all, not everyone had Saturday off. As a result of all the people, there was barely a spare inch of sidewalk to stand on, let alone walk. Basically, it was a thick forest of people. And how do you get through a forest? You plow through it.

"MOVE IT! COMING THROUGH! WATCH IT KID!" a voice echoed briefly, for it was soon drowned out by surprised yells and aggravated expletives. The source of the voice had gone from the crowd as quickly as it had come, leaving only plowed over citizens in its wake. As one could guess, Ryo was on the move.

'Why?' he thought, swinging around a corner and nearly crashing into an open car door. 'Why'd this have to happen when I was gone?!? Hell, why'd it have to happen at all!?!" Suddenly, Ryo's foot caught on the sidewalk and sent him tumbling. With a thud and a yell, he crashed onto the cold, hard concrete, pain shooting up the bridge of his nose. Quickly, he push himself up, only to find the sidewalk stained with several drops of blood. When several more droplets of red showed up, Ryo became sure that it was his own. Carelessly, he wiped his sleeve across his face, smearing blood up along his cheek and above his eye. Nevertheless, blood still continued to flow down his face, making him look rather gruesome. Anyone standing about at the time could have confirmed that for you. However, Ryo couldn't care less, which became apparent when he took off running again.

'Don't you dare die on me Rika.' Thought Ryo, and he knocked over a woman with a large bag of groceries in her hand. 'You're too tough for that!!!'

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At the hospital, Henry sat in the waiting room, his head in one hand and his elbow against his knee, listening to the commotion of the infirmary. He could hear phones ringing, a doctor shouting for a nurse, a stretcher rolling by with various doctors and nurses yelling out information about the patient, newborns crying, grown men crying, and various other things you usually hear in a hospital. However, neither he nor any of the others had heard any news about Rika.

He looked out the window and watched the streets of Tokyo. The sun was about halfway through its slow ascend into the sky, which was completely clear of clouds. How could it be so nice outside today of all days? It was supposed to be dreary and miserable, Henry thought. He looked down below and watched all the smiling people moving throughout the streets. He watched a biker go by and saw a group of girls laughing, obviously glad not be in school. Sure, there were some busy looking people, but Henry didn't notice them. He only saw the people who seemed to be so carefree. He sighed deeply. What he wouldn't give to be one of those people right now.

Slowly, his thoughts began to drift, and all the sounds that only minutes ago had been engulfing him disappeared completely. What if he'd gotten to Rika sooner? What if he'd left the house just a little bit earlier? What if he'd been able to save her? What if?

Behind him, the elevator door pinged, but he couldn't hear it. Nor did he hear a woman scream, "Oh my God! Boy, you're bleeding!" Since he didn't hear either of these, it's not surprising that he couldn't someone calling his name.

Then, Henry was jolted back into the real world when a pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around. It took Henry a bit to register what was in front of him, but when he did he couldn't help but jump backwards in shock. In front of him stood an anxious, bloody Ryo. "Ryo?!" exclaimed Henry, shock written all over his face. "What happ-?"

"WHERE'S RIKA?!?!" screamed Ryo, grabbing Henry's shoulders and looking him right in the eye. He obviously was more in the mood to ask questions rather than answer them. "WHERE IS SHE?"

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Sorry if I disappointed you guys this time. I keep you waiting for a chapter where almost nothing happens. I hope to do better next time. And yes, I'm still planning on doing alternate endings, if anyone cares. I just have to make the link between this bit and the ending. That shouldn't be _too_ hard. Please R/R so that I know if I'm doing a good job or not. You want me to do a good job, don't you?


	5. Good News, Bad News, and Worse News

Hi again! Yeah, I know it took a while to get this out, but the reason for that is I was trying to make it as realistic as possible. This meant that I had to make this believable by knowing what I was talking about. You'll figure out what I mean later.

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Soon enough, Ryo was sitting next to Henry in the waiting room, his face cleaned of all blood and his eyes directed at the floor. If one looked closely enough at him, they would have noticed that he was shaking. It'd been a half-hour since he had come storming into the hospital, and there was still no news about Rika.

As he had been cleaned up, he'd been told about what happened.

"She was nearly dead when she got here," the nurse's assistant had said, as she helped clean the blood from his face. He remembered she had been very tall and thin, and a bit twitchy and shaken. Her black hair had been cut boyishly short for one reason or another, but she still retained her feminine look. "From what your friend outside told us, he found her in a pile of trash on the main street." She continued, her voice growing solemn and a little shaky. "She had a stab wound in her torso, and she'd lost a lot of blood."

Even now in the waiting room, Ryo was still struggling to keep his anger at bay. This was no accident. Some creep had attacked Rika and intentionally stabbed her. Someone had tried to kill her, and for all anyone knew, they had succeeded.

Ryo grimaced at the thought and shook his head fiercely. 'No. Rika won't die. She won't let herself die. She's too tough for that.' Ryo reminded himself.

Then, as he finished this thought, eyes downcast, he saw the hem of a white jacket stop a few steps away from him. "Excuse me?" asked a female voice, "Are you Nonaka Rumiko?"

Ryo's head shot up so fast that it gave him a headache, which he didn't bother to notice. Nearby, the Henry, Takato, and Jeri all did the exact same thing.

In front of Rika's mother and grandmother was a female doctor. Her black hair was neatly tied back; there wasn't a strand out of place. She wore a pair of glasses with thin frames, and carried a clipboard at her side.

"Yes," said Rika's mother, rather anxiously. "Yes I am."

"I'm Dr. Tanaka," she informed them. "I have some information about your daughter.

"Is she alright?" Rumiko asked, getting straight to the point.

Dr. Tanaka closed her eyes, rubbed the bridge of her nose, and sighed. Uh oh. "Well," she said, "I have both good news and bad news."

'Oh God,' thought Ryo fearfully, his heart rate going up a few notches. 'Not that line!'

"The good news," continued Dr. Tanaka, trying her best to console a distressed Rumiko, "is that your daughter is alive."

This statement took a minute to fully sink in for Ryo in his panicky state, but once it did, it was all Ryo could do to keep from jumping for joy. Rika was alive! He hadn't been too late! He didn't have to turn around to know that the others were just as excited to hear this as he was. He could almost feel the radiation from Jeri's smile, and she was a yard away. Unfortunately, there was still the bad news.

"But," continued Dr. Tanaka, nervously. Ryo's happiness ceased when he heard the tone of her voice. It was that nervous tone people got when they were about to drop a bomb.

"She will be needing a blood transfusion." She said, pulling the clipboard from under her arm, flipping to the second piece of paper in the clip, and reading it. "Her blood type is A, correct?"

Rumiko nodded slowly. "Yes, that's right."

The doctor nodded as well and returned the clipboard to her side. "Her gene appears to be A2, if the tests are correct. Unfortunately, that blood type is not very common in Asia. We don't have any available for our use at the moment. Also, it is unlikely that there are any hospitals in the area that could supply us with as much as we need. It could take weeks to get a sufficient amount."

For a moment, there was complete silence among the group. Everyone stared at Dr. Tanaka, who in turn stared at Rumiko, waiting for a reply.

"Wh…what does that…mean?" Rumiko finally asked, recoiling slightly. She, like the rest of the group, knew the answer probably wasn't going to be good.

Dr. Tanaka looked down at Rumiko somberly before she closed her eyes, sighing, and rubbed the bridge of her nose again. Her facial expression showed that she was a person who had seen far too much tragedy in her years. "It means," she said, opening her eyes again, "that you're daughter may not survive."

Then, it seemed that the world ceased to spin.

Ryo felt like he couldn't see. He couldn't breath. He could barely even think. "I'm very sorry about this Ms. Nonaka." The doctor's voice echoed in Ryo's head. "We will do all we can for her." Ryo heard the sound of Rumiko sobbing. He heard Rika's grandmother trying to comfort her, even though she too was sobbing, just as before.

Then, as Ryo listened to the many voices and sounds echoing in his head, he was suddenly filled with rage.

He felt rage toward the doctors, who were too incompetent in his eyes. If they were really good doctors, they would do everything need to save Rika. They wouldn't let her die. They'd get the blood she needed.

There was rage toward the guy who hurt her, too. How dare he hurt his Rika??? Where did he get the gall to do something like that??

He even felt rage toward Rika herself. What was she doing out there? How could she let that happen to her? She was smarter than that!

But mostly, he felt rage toward himself. He dropped his face into his hands and did all he could to keep from sobbing. He gulped and wondered to himself. 'Why couldn't I have been there for her?'

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Well, there you go. Now you see what I had to make more believable, right? See, I'm no doctor, so I had to do some research. It turned up some information, but not as much as I would have liked. So, please bear with me on that. I tried! I swear I did!

By the way, I was just thinking about this. If any of you want to know why my chapters are the length they are, it's that I try to make each chapter at least 1000 words, author notes and all. I know that isn't the best system, but it makes me feel good about myself.

Now, to other business. I've started to rethink the alternative endings thing. I'm not sure if I should do both endings or just do one. And, if just one, which one? What do you guys think? Tell me please! R&R.


	6. Then Who?

Hi readers! I'm back and have a fixed PC! Huzzah for me! Before I get to the story, I'd like to tell you all that I revised the whole of this story. It's been a long time since I've started this, and my writing style has improved significantly. For the most part, I will be making no significant, plot-altering changes, so there will be no need to reread the story if you don't want to. However, I have made an important change in chapter five. It won't really seem important when you read it, but it becomes significant in this chapter.

And now, enough of my rambling. On with chapter 6!

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Rika groaned lightly, and her eyes slowly opened. It didn't do her much good though, because her vision was too fuzzy to make anything out. What she could see was a lot of white. Next to her she could hear a constant, slow beeping noise. With great difficulty, she turned her head. A large gray thing sat next to her, with a small colored line moving across it. This was easy to see, for the line was very bright. Besides that, she noticed that she was lying on a bed with a soft pillow below her head.

Confused, she blinked and tried to sit up, but found it was impossible; She could barely move for lack of energy. She groaned and lay back, sinking into the mattress a bit. She listened to her surroundings, and heard to sound of footsteps somewhere off to her left. "Hello?" she called, though her voice was exceptionally quiet. The footsteps ceased, and after a moment, she heard them moving cautiously toward her. "Miss Nonaka?" said a female voice. "Are you awake?" Rika tried to nod but, again, couldn't find the strength. "Why am I so weak?" she asked, getting right to the point.

However, the nurse didn't answer. The sound of her feverishly dialing a number on the phone by the door was all that Rika heard. In the end however, the nurse's explanation wasn't needed, for Rika's memory suddenly came back to her. She remembered the guy, being stabbed, and the darkness. She remembered how cold she had been, and how weak and afraid as well. But after that, nothing.

As the nurse hastily whispered into the phone, Rika blinked several times to try to regain her vision. However, it did not return. Her surroundings remained just as blurry as when she first awoke. Frustrated, she tried to move her fingers. This she could do, but it was almost as difficult as lifting a car.

"I'm sorry about that dear," said the nurse finally, the phone clicking as she hung it up. "You asked me something?"

Rika was silent for a moment as the nurse waited for her reply. "What's wrong with me?" she asked finally. "Why can't I see? Why can't I move?"

The nurse let out a solemn breath and rubbed her forehead, which Rika couldn't see. The nurse then explained to Rika that she had lost an ample amount of blood after she'd been stabbed and she would need a blood transfusion soon. She also explained to the girl that her blood type was unusual and hard to come by. This is when Rika grew fearful.

"Am I going to die?" she asked, gulping. There was a pause in which the nurse smiled a smile that Rika couldn't see. "Dear, if the doctors are correct, and everything goes as planned, you have a good chance of living. We think we've found someone who has the same blood type as you." Rika blinked and adjusted the position of her head to face the nurse. Though she could see no details, she could make out the nurse's basic outline. "Who?" she questioned.

"Ms. Nonaka, I'd like you to meet Isako Maeda," said Dr. Tanaka, gesturing toward the woman beside her.

"Konbanwa," said Isako, bowing respectfully, which Rika's grandmother and Rumiko did as well. "It is very nice to meet you." Isako continued as she returned to a straightened posture. She seemed to be a little fidgety, and wore a nervous smile. She had very short black hair that was a bit unkempt, adding to her nervous manner.

"Miss Maeda is my assistant," explained Dr. Tanaka as she sat down at her desk. She gestured for the others to do take a seat as well. Rika's grandmother and Rumiko sat in front of the desk, and Isako took a seat at Dr. Tanaka's side. "She is also an intern and has been helping me here for several months. She was present when we were giving your daughter Rika's diagnosis and later found out something you might find interesting."

Both the woman before her remained silent, but their eyes showed anticipation for the news. At her side, Isako was tapping her fingers together nervously. Outside the office window, the sun was slowly starting to sink behind the tall buildings.

"This morning, Miss Maeda took it upon herself to test a blood sample that she accumulated from a visitor." As Dr. Tanaka spoke, her voice became increasingly firm and Isako lowered her eyes. "Though it was not exactly acceptable protocol," Dr. Tanaka stated, pausing to glance at Isako from the corner of her eye with a stern expression. Isako quickly caught the doctor's gaze and nodded nervously, after which the doctor continued. "It still did turn up something rather surprising."

Dr. Tanaka leaned onto the desk and looked directly at Rumiko. "Strictly by chance, the blood sample turned out to be type A2, the same type and gene are your daughter."

Rumiko's eyes widened in shock at the doctor's words. She spun to face her mother, who had the same expression as Rumiko herself. "What?" Rumiko asked as she spun back to face Dr. Tanaka, her voice filled with an excited astonishment. "Who?"

Ryo lay in bed that night, starring at the darkened ceiling. The only light in the room came from his window, where the streetlights shown into his room. It gently played orange light across the walls and the foot of his bed.

As Ryo lay in silence, he tried to recall the day's events correctly. The doctors had told Rumiko that she didn't have the same gene as Rika, nor did her grandmother. The blood type Rika had must have been a recessive trait, or belong to her father. Everything after that was a blur to him. Basically, the doctors had just sugarcoated the fact that Rika was probably going to die. He squinted, tears blurring his vision. However, the look on his face remained apathetic as he wondered why fate was so cruel.

From somewhere beyond his door he heard the phone ring, but he did not move. Even though he knew his father was not awake and would not be able pick it up, he just continued to stare at the ceiling as it rang two more times and transferred to the answering machine.

"I am calling for the guardians of Akiyama Ryo," a voice spoke, the machine recording it. Ryo turned his head toward the door, having recognized the voice to be that of Dr. Tanaka. Why would she be calling him?

"It is regarding Ryo's friend, Nonaka Rika."

* * *

Well, that's chapter six. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long. Also, I'm sorry if any of you find this predictable. The gears in my head were already turning with this in mind, and it was too late to turn back. ; I hope you guys like it anyway.

Also, much like last time, I have another name question. What is Rika's grandma's name? It's just kind of weird writing "Rika's grandmother and Rumiko."

Oh, and for those of you that don't know, "konbanwa" means "good evening".


	7. Quite Literally Floored

I'm not dead! I'm still alive! Rejoice!

Well, as some of you may have noticed, I started a new story recently, which I have been updating constantly. Yeah, I know. I'm not fair to you guys. I finally told myself that I needed to give you guys the chapter you've been awaiting for…what's it been now? 4…5 months? Something like that.

I must thank you guys a lot for being so patient with me. Oh, and definitely have to thank those who sent me their ideas. They actually helped me a lot. I had been planning to end the story around here, but I knew that'd be lame. Thanks to your reviews and ideas, I finally figured out what I'm going to do! Arigato gozaimasu!

For that, this chapter is dedicated to the two people who sent me their ideas:

Ao-Senshi

karislight

Disclaimer: Was it this story I said I wouldn't be putting the disclaimer anymore? Or was it some other story? Hmm…Well, anyway, I don't own Digimon.

* * *

"How many fingers am I holding up?" asked Henry, holding two fingers in front of Ryo's face. Ryo blinked a few times and squinted, trying to see clearly. He could see six, but he highly doubted that Henry had six fingers on one hand… 

"Does it matter?" Ryo asked after a few minutes, pushing Henry's hand away from his face. "I'm totally fine."

"You sure about that?" asked Henry, sounding and looking very skeptical. "You realize how much blood you just gave, right?"

"I can handle it." Said Ryo, waving away Henry's comment. Slowly, he got up from his seat in the waiting room and stood straight. "You think you can find out where I can get some coffee? I'm pretty tired…"

Ryo blinked in surprise at the look on Henry's face. It was a sort of smug look; like he had just found out he was right about something. Ryo also noticed that it looked like Henry was leaning rather far to the right.

"What's that look for?" asked Ryo.

"Three…two…one…" replied Henry. And just like that, Ryo collapsed, crashing face first into the floor. Unfortunately, Ryo, like so many other first time donors, underestimated the aftereffects of his blood donation.

"Okay," said a dazed Ryo as Henry helped him to his feet. "Maybe that took a little more out of me than I thought."

"Really?" said Henry as he handed Ryo a cookie, sarcasm dripping from the word. "I couldn't tell."

"Yeah yeah, smart-ass." Said Ryo as he took a bite out of the cookie and sat back down. "So…" he said, his tone becoming much more serious. "You think…she'll survive?"

"Ryo, she's Rika. She's a pretty strong girl. Not to mention that she's got your blood now." Henry smiled reassuringly, though Ryo couldn't see it. Still, he couldn't hide the tension in his voice.

"Alright." Said Ryo, trying to pretend that Henry sounded more sure than he really did. 'What if it was too late?' He thought. 'She might still…'

The sun began to rise steadily from behind them, reflecting against the white hospital floor tiles. Ryo stared at them, wondering why every hospital had a white floor. It must get pretty bloody…and there with the blood again.

"So," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "What about that coffee?"

* * *

That had been the previous Thursday, and on Wednesday afternoon, Ryo could be found at his desk in English class, his face flat against the pencil-scarred desktop. The strange English words rang his ears as the teacher attempted to teach them the difference between "laughter" and "daughter". God those Europeans and their crazy language. 

Normally, Ryo wouldn't have a problem with English. He was rather good at it in fact. But today, and for several days previous, Ryo wasn't really into it. He still hadn't received any word from Rika's doctor, nor Rika's family. Each day after school, Ryo would whip out his cell phone and call Henry to see if he had heard anything. Unfortunately, the answer was always the same.

"I haven't heard anything yet." He would say solemnly. "But they'll inform us as soon as anything happens."

Ryo tilted his head to the side to look out the window. The sun was shinning again. He had hoped for a rainy week, because after all, misery loves company. But no, it was still sunny.

Then, through the almost silent classroom came the piercing sound of a ringing phone. The teacher grew silent, and the ringing persisted. Ryo continued to stare out the window, barely noticing the sound.

'Poor chump.' He thought. 'He's losing that phone.'

Then, he became aware of several sets of eyes boring into his back.

"Akiyama-san." Said the teacher, annoyance apparent. "Would you turn off that phone before I'm forced to take it?"

Quickly, Ryo scrambled through his backpack, searching for the annoying device. However, before he could find it, it ceased in ringing. The room remained silent for a few moments before the teacher, with an annoyed huff and a warning to Ryo, started talking again. The students stared a moment longer, but soon went back to listening and taking notes, much to Ryo's relief.

He reached into the bottom of his backpack and felt his fingers brush against the phone's plastic covering. He pulled it out, leaning over so that the teacher couldn't see. Flipping it open, Ryo pressed the button for his answering machine and, ducking lower, put the phone to his ear.

"Hello Ryo." Came Rumiko's voice through the receiver. Ryo's eyes widened at hearing her voice and pressed the phone closer to his ear. The tone of her voice seemed rather exciting, which could only mean…

"I thought I should call you and tell you the good news. I got a call from Dr. Tanaka this morning. She says Rika's recovering! She's awake now! When you're free, get over to the hospital. I'm sure Rika would love to see you! Buh bye!" With that, the call ended, followed by the monotone electronic voice saying, "End of messages."

And Ryo's reaction? Well, to the excitement and concern of his classmates, he was quite literally floored.

* * *

…alright, I'll admit it. This is _desperately_ short. I want to beat myself with a golf club for making this so short. However, like with chapter two, I just wanted to get something out to you guys before you bought me a coffin. 

Also, this chapter got my point across, so I guess it's alright. Oh, and just so you know…

**This is not the last chapter!!!**

Just thought I'd say that for anyone who thought that it might be.


	8. An Empty Shell

::eyes widen:: Whoa, this is weird. The last chapter got no reviews! That's a first. I guess I waited too long to write the chapters. ::Sweatdrops:: Sorry you guys. My chapters are getting longer though, so there's that. I hope that makes up for it a little bit. Well, here's chapter 8. I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Digimon, and frankly, I don't know who does. Who owns these huge profit animes anyway? Nobody knows who made them. At least, nobody I know.

* * *

Rika looked around her from side to side, seeing only alleys shrouded in darkness. She could see garbage blowing around in the street, wrapped in a somewhat ghostly air. Looked at the scene, she couldn't help but shiver at her feeling of déjà vu. She'd definitely been here before. 

"Hello?" Rika called, walking down the deserted street. Her voice echoed against the shop walls, but no one answered her.

"Hey! Somebody answer me!" she shouted, spinning around. "There has to be someone here. I can't be the only person."

Then, as she walked by a particularly thin alley, something caught her eye. She turned her head slightly, then gasped and recoiled in horror. There, perfectly visible via the moon, was her, or her body at least. She could see blood drying on her shirt and skin, and she could see even more blood flowing across the ground from her open wound.

Rika's breath became heavy as she stared at her dying self. What was going on? Was she dead?

Then, a shadow fell over her, blocking out all of the moonlight. Rika spun around swiftly to see that boy she'd met with in the alleyway not long ago. In his hand was the same blade he's stabbed her with. A hideous smile lit his face, and he thrust the knife straight at her.

* * *

Rika awoke with a scream of horror, sitting straight up in bed. She held her blanket tightly to her chest, sweat pouring down her face and the back of her neck. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage, almost threatening to shatter the bones with the intensity of its beating. Her breath came at an irregular pace, interrupted only a few times with a gulp of fear. 

She put her hand to her forehead, groaning, then lay back down.

'Why do I keep having these dreams?' she thought to herself, turning on her side and staring at the wall.

It had been two weeks since she'd returned from the hospital, and almost every night she would have horrible dreams and most of them were reoccurring. The one she'd just woken up from was one of them. Another dream she kept having was watching the doctors and nurses tag her and write down her time of death. He was in that dream too. He would be leaning on the doorway, smirking at her evilly.

Since she'd gotten home, she hadn't left her room. It wasn't because the doctors advised that she stay in bed either. Rika, being who she was, wouldn't listen to a doctor if she didn't want to. There was something deeper than that.

"Rika dear?" came the voice of her grandma through the paper walls. "Are you all right? Was that you screaming?"

Rika sighed. "I'm fine grandma." Rika replied quietly, covering her head with her blankets. She definitely wasn't the same Rika.

* * *

Several miles away, Ryo, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Takato and Jerri were on lunch hour. All six of them sat outside on the school grounds beneath one of the trees, surrounded by their chatty classmates. Kazu, Kenta, Takato and Jerri were all particularly chatty, going about their business. Since Rika was at home and healthy, they hardly needed to worry. 

Henry and Ryo however, had a different outlook on the situation. Both were staring off into space, not speaking or acknowledging anyone else. Ryo held his hands behind his head, leaning back against the tree trunk. A book sat untouched on Henry's knee.

"Henry? Ryo?" said Takato, startling both the boys to attention. "Are you guys okay?"

Henry nodded and gave the boy a forced smile.

"We're fine." Said Ryo, stretching his arms out above his head.

"You just seemed sort of…out of it." Takato pointed out.

"They're worried about Rika." Jerri interjected, turning around. "I can tell. A woman always knows."

"Yeah, you would know, wouldn't you Jerri?" asked Takato with a laugh. Jerri gave him a glare in return.

"Of course I would! I'm more of a woman that you'll ever be! …No…wait…" The couple quickly submitted to snickers, leaving both Henry and Ryo with large sweatdrops on their heads.

In truth, Jerri was actually dead on. Both of them had been thinking about Rika. They'd both gone to visit her, and neither was very happy with what he saw. She'd been very quiet and seemed very tired, barely able to balance herself and sit up straight.

They'd both tried to convince themselves that it was just because she was recovering, but someone, neither could quiet believe that. Even when she was injured, Rika always had a sarcastic retort to give to one of them. However, since she'd gotten back from the hospital…nothing.

"I think I'm going to go see her after school." Said Ryo, looking up into the leaf-covered branches of the tree. Light shown through the leaves, casting a strange green light on the trunk below.

"You mean Rika?" asked Henry, turning to the older boy.

"Yeah," replied Ryo, nodding. "I want to see if she's any better than she was the other day."

* * *

"Rika, you have a visitor. It's your boyfriend Ryo." 

Ryo blushed lightly and rubbed his forehead. "Please Nanako-san," he said, "I'm just her friend."

Rumiko turned to Ryo, smiling at him. "And you're a boy, aren't you? So you're her boyfriend." Ryo couldn't help but sweatdrop at this comment.

"Anyway, go on in." said Rumiko, smiling. Just before he let Ryo in however, she leaned down and whispered, "Don't be too disappointed if she doesn't say much. She hasn't been very energetic lately, with the surgery and all."

Ryo nodded. "I know." He responded simply.

He watched at Rumiko walked away, then opened the door to Rika's room and stepped inside.

Everything inside the room was dark, the light from the doorway casting a long white line across the floor to the opposite wall. As soon as Ryo's eyes adjusted to the dark, he shut the door behind him, and looked to his left. There was Rika's bed, and just as he suspected, she was still in it.

"Rika?" he asked, walking over and kneeling down beside her. She didn't respond.

'Is she asleep?' he wondered to himself, reaching out and putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm awake Ryo." She said quietly, shifting back and forth to shake off his hand.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, sitting down beside her and crossing his legs over each other. Rika however, didn't respond.

"Come on Rika." Said Ryo, stroking her hair. Rika immediately tensed up and flinched away. "What's wrong?"

"None of your business." Said Rika, scrunching up her shoulder.

"…are you thinking about the hospital? The doctor said you'd be fine Rika. You won't have to go back."

"It's not that Ryo." She admitted. "It's him."

"Him?"

"I don't know why…I just keep seeing him. Every night I have nightmares, and he's in them all."

Ryo didn't need her to explain who she was talking about. He already knew. It had to be the attacker.

He gripped the knees of his pants tightly, twisting the fabric around. He could almost see the guy's throat in his hand instead of the cotton. He'd taken Rika away. The Rika Ryo knew was gone, replaced with his quite, apathetic girl.

He could see a vibrant picture of the old Rika in his mind. Always shouting insulting comments, which he would return with sickeningly sweet nicknames. He'd always win. That was the Rika he'd fallen for. The one before him was but an empty shell.

'I'm going to find him.' He thought to himself. He rested a hand on Rika's shoulder yet again, which she quickly shook off. 'I'm going to make him pay for what he did to her.'

* * *

Well, that's the end of chapter 8. Unlike several chapters ago, I finally know how and when this is going to end. The ending might be a little cheesy, but I'll do my best to make it otherwise. Oh, and just so you know, the next chapter will be the last. Gasp! I'm actually going to finish a fic! Though, strangely enough, three of my fics are coming to an end. Hm… 

Anyway, please R/R so I know if anyone is still reading this story!


	9. Tell Me About China

:waves: Hi everybody! Well, it's finally done. After 17 months, Left in the Dark has finally reached its conclusion.

If you hadn't noticed, I bumped the rating up one for language, tobacco use, and some obscene verbal harassment by Sato, who you will meet later. I just don't want the administrators to eat me, or remove the story. :sweatdrops:

Anyway, I'm really excited about this. Really, I had the sneaking suspicion that this would never reach an ending and would just be one of those stories that was cut off in the middle and never finished. However, thanks to ideas and support from you guys, that won't be happening.

In truth, the biggest reason it took me so long to update this story all the time was because I was afraid of disappointing you guys. I'd never done a fic like this before, and I wasn't sure what would please the fans. Because of this, I got nervous and stopped updating. :bows: Please forgive me. I hope you guys do enjoy the way it turned out.

Also, I'd like to give an author's response to RIKA.

I'm sorry that this was shorter than you wished, but really, I believe this is for the best. Thanks to Ao-Senshi and karislight, I was able to come up with a decent ending, which I wasn't able to do before. If I were to make this story any longer, it would become too drawn out and inevitably pointless.

One main rule to live by when writing a story is to tell what needs to be told, then stop. Don't keep going when there is nothing left to say, and that is what I'm going to do. So, forgive me, but I will not be making it any longer.

Now, enough with this. On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and this will be the last time I have to say this. Are you satisfied now, corporate America :shakes fist:

* * *

The kid with black hair removed the cigarette from his lips, leaned forward to see the picture more carefully, and raised an eyebrow. "You call this an artist's depiction?" he asked, looking up at Ryo, who was holding the picture at arm's length. 

"Yes," replied Ryo bluntly, "So have you seen him?"

A kid with a mohawk, who was standing with the black-haired kid, leaned forward to get a better look. "Dude," he said, pointing at it with his lighter. "That's a stick figure with a pitchfork and devil horns."

Grimacing, Ryo looked at the paper himself. Before he'd left Rika's house the previous day, he'd convinced her to tell him what her attacker looked like. He'd had to pry it out of her, but eventually he'd gotten all the physical description he needed. Unfortunately, Ryo wasn't exactly an artist, and could only draw a stick figure. Adding to that, he couldn't help but throw in evil eyes, devil horns, fangs, a pitchfork, and a devil's tail. In short, a five-year-old could have done a better job.

As a vein throbbed in Ryo's temple, he crumpled the paper up in one hand and shoved it in his pocket.

"Good call," said Black Hair, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"What if I just…described him to you guys? Would that work?" asked Ryo. He would have to head for school soon, and he was hoping to get some leads on where to find this guy before then. He wanted to find him as soon as possible.

"Maybe." Said Mohawk in a disinterested voice.

"All right," said Ryo, looking down at the ground, trying to focus on the description Rika had given him. "Long, greasy, stringy black hair, wears all black. Has a leather jacket and a spiked bracelet. Hangs out around here after dark…"

"Ah," said Black Hair, snapping his fingers. "You're looking for Sato. Yeah, we know him." He leaned around the corner, nodding at something down the street. The three were downtown, on the same street where Rika had been attacked. "He comes down here to get these," said Black Hair, flicking his cigarette for emphasis. "He'll usually hang around in one of the alleyways for a while. He's probably due for another pack today as a matter of fact."

"Do you know him well?" asked Ryo. Both the boys shook their heads.

"Saburo-kun here," said Mohawk, gesturing at his friend with an elbow, "just sells him his cancer."

Ryo looked at his watch and groaned to himself. He had to get going soon.

"Well, if you see him…tell him to stick around. I have some business with him." With that, Ryo took off jogging down the street. Then, he turned the corner and was gone. Saburo and Mohawk watched him go, and then looked at each other.

"You gonna do it?" asked Mohawk, leaning back against the smoke stained wall. Saburo shrugged to himself.

"Eh, why not?" he said, dropping his cigarette and grinding it beneath his heel. "We'll get a good story from Sato afterwards, so I might as well."

* * *

A few hours later, Ryo sat in class, inattentive as ever. When he wasn't tapping his pencil on the desk, he was chewing on the eraser, both sighs of obvious distraction. He was looking out the window, glaring, thinking of what he would do to this, "Sato" when he got his hands on him. Some of his classmates gave him strange looks, but otherwise ignored the boy. 

This is how it had been for most of the day. Even his friends had noticed it. Takato and Jeri had questioned him about the strange behavior, only to receive a distracted, "I'm fine," in return. Henry was the only one who hadn't said anything to him.

As the minute and second hands on the clock clicked into position, the bell rang loudly, signaling that the weekend had begun.

"Remember," said the teacher as the students began to collect their things. "You have a test over English verbs on Monday. I suggest studying your text from pages 73 through…where are you going Akiyama-san? You have to write down the assignment before you-Get back here Akiyama-san!"

* * *

Ryo strode out of the school's double doors, walking with purpose. By his stance, one could immediately tell that he was a man on a mission. His eyes, narrowed in concentration, and his rigid steps could have told you that. He bumped kids to the side as he went, receiving many disgruntled looks and shouts as a result. However, Ryo really couldn't have cared less. 

After a bit, he was out of the crowd and walking along the sidewalk, unaccompanied by anyone else. He knew he couldn't go downtown yet. After all, Sato probably wasn't going to be there until dusk, if he was even going to be there at all. Still, he didn't want to go home, and he could only think of only one other place where he could go.

'Might as well go there,' he thought to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets. 'Take the long way, maybe get rid of some of this damned stress and get away from other people.'

"Ryo!" someone called out.

'Damnit,' Ryo thought, mentally snapping his fingers.

For a moment, Ryo paused, listening to the footsteps coming up behind him. However, he quickly started walking again, hastening his pace. Whoever it was, he didn't want to talk to them. Unfortunately, they were still able to catch up.

"Ryo," Henry repeated, slowing from a run when he reached said boy. "What going on?"

Ryo blinked, a little surprised by the abrupt question. "What?" he asked, turning to look at the younger boy. "Nothing's going on."

"You've been acting weird today," Henry commented, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You're still acting distant…but you've been acting angry and anxious too. We've all noticed it, even Kazu and Kenta."

"So?" Ryo replied simply.

"I want to know what's going on with you."

Ryo looked over and the boy and narrowed his eyes, studying him critically. Henry looked back at him with the same look, his eyes urging Ryo to answer the question. Ryo, of course, was hesitant. 'He'll try to stop me,' he thought, eying Henry intensely. 'But then again…he won't be able to or anything…'

"I'm going after him." Ryo finally said, turning his eyes away from Henry and toward the sky.

"Who?" asked the Henry, raising his eyebrow suspiciously.

"The guy who attacked Rika." Ryo clenched his fists inside his pockets. "I'm going after him tonight. I know exactly where to find him. I'm going to make him pay for what he did to her." Hearing this, the usually quiet Henry couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"No way Ryo," he said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Ryo shrugged it away. "Doing that won't help Rika. If you get hurt, it'll just make it even worse."

Ryo snorted and shook his head. "That's not the point." He said, taking his hands out of his pockets and looking at his palms. "Rika…she's different. Maybe he didn't kill her, but he still took the life right out of her. She use to be really fiery, you know. Rika isn't Rika anymore. He has to pay for that."

"Ryo, she'll be fine on her own. She _will_ get better."

Ryo stopped walking suddenly, his eyes now trained on the ground. Henry stopped as well, looking back at his silent friend. "Prove that to me." Ryo said after a moment.

They stayed still for a time, the shadows on the ground slowly lengthening. "I'm not going to be able to change your mind, am I?" asked Henry, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.

Slowly, a smirk spread across Ryo's face. "Not a chance," he said. He began walking again, strolling past Henry. As he turned the corner, he turned and gave Henry a wave. He said nothing; no "See you", no "Catch you later", nothing. He would have said it, but for some reason he felt like he'd better not. With that simple motion, he disappeared.

For a moment, Henry wasn't sure what to do. He knew he was should chase after Ryo and try to stop him. However, he also knew that that wouldn't work. Ryo was as stubborn and bull-headed as Rika, and had already made up his mind. He was on the path of no return now.

Henry massaged his forehead and, with a sigh, turned and began walking in the direction of his house. He'd being praying for Ryo's safety all night now. So much for his homework.

* * *

"Rika?" said Ryo as he slid the door to Rika's room closed behind him. She remained silent, as had become normal for her. However, she did shift slightly, so he knew she was awake. "Rika…" he said, kneeling down at her side. "I need to tell you something." 

No response.

"I…I found out some stuff about that guy, the one who attacked you. His name's Sato, and he usually hangs out where he attacked you."

Rika shivered slightly, almost unnoticeably. However, she didn't speak.

"You don't have to be afraid of him anymore Rika," he said gently. He took her hand in both of his, holding it tightly. He could tell she disapproved as she tried to pull it away, but he refused to let go. "I'm going to take care of him. I'm going to make him pay for what he did to you."

He smiled kindly at her, though he knew all too well that with her eyes closed, she couldn't see it. 'Maybe you'll go back to being normal if I do this.' He thought to himself. 'Maybe, if what your afraid of is gone, you'll change back.' It was a long shot definitely, but it could happen. It could.

Rika remained silent and still, her face slightly twisted in annoyance. Obviously, she still wasn't too happy about him holding her hand. Ryo, who couldn't give up his old antics, gently kissed her hand. Immediately, he saw her tense up, and he couldn't help but snicker.

"See you sweetheart." He said, standing up and heading for the door. "When I get back, I'm gonna tell you all about China, all right?" With that, he slid the door open and closed, and was gone.

As soon as Ryo footsteps faded away into nothingness, Rika opened her eyes. 'He's going to do what?' she thought to herself, sitting up. Slowly, she looked down at her hand. She could still feel where he'd kissed it. Suave bastard. Then, her eyes turned to the doorway where he had been only moments before.

'So…' she thought to herself. 'He's going to go avenge me? He's as strong as I am, and I got beaten. He might not even survive.'

She continued to stare at the door for several minutes. What would happen if he didn't? What would she do? No matter how thickheaded he was, she still really cared about him. What would she do if he was to die, and she knew she could have stopped it?

She put her hand to her chest, glaring at the floor. "Stupid Ryo."

* * *

Though Ryo didn't know it, this evening was just the like one when Rika was attacked. The sun was just beginning to set behind the tall buildings on the west side of town, sending the main street into darkness. People were beginning to leave, the crowd thinning out until it was non-existent. He was left alone on the street with nothing but the garbage and the distant sound of a car alarm to keep him company. 

Ryo paused at the mouth of the street. 'He should be here,' Ryo thought to himself, slowly walking forward. As he passed each alleyway, he leaned forward and gazed into its dark depths, searching for any movement.

As he went, he tried to imagine what this Sato guy would seem like in person. Of course, his first thought that came to mind was "the devil incarnate", but somehow that struck him as being improbable. What he did know was that this guy was willing to stab a person in a dark alley, and was just as inclined to leave them there. Basically, that meant he had to watch his back.

Then, finally, Ryo caught sight of what he'd been looking for. Down one of the darker, filthier alleys, he saw a red dot floating several feet off the ground; a cigarette.

"Hey," called Ryo, not daring to step into the alley. He wasn't exactly nocturnal, so it occurred to him that doing so would probably be a _bad_ idea.

The little red dot bobbed slightly, and Ryo could faintly see the dark outline of a head turn in his direction.

"I'm guessing you're Sato." Ryo said, trying to keep his voice level and calm. He couldn't let Sato hear the nervousness in his voice. If he did, it was already over.

"Who wants to know?" came a smooth voice. There was a quiet shuffling sound as he pulled his lighter out of his pocket, flicking it on and lighting the end of his dying cigarette. His dark eyes and greasy strands of black hair came into view, and Ryo was immediately certain that this was him. He was exactly as Rika had described him.

"No one of importance," said Ryo, trying to sound disinterested as well as confident. He heard Sato snap the lighter shut with a click and a "humph".

"Saburo and Udo said someone wanted to see me tonight," said Sato. Ryo listened as footsteps echoed against the walls of the alleyway, coming closer with each stride. "But if you're not gonna tell me what you want, I'm out of here. I don't have time to waste with you."

"Patience, patience," said Ryo, sounding strangely like some sort of yakuza member. "I just want to ask you something,"

"Spit it out then," said Sato. Obviously, he wasn't one for said patience.

"A girl was sent to the hospital a few weeks ago," said Ryo, now attempting to keep the anger out of his voice. He already knew Sato was the one, he could feel it. Still, he had to make sure.

"Happens all the time." Said Sato irritably. "What's it got to do with me?"

"Well, she was found in a pile of garbage around here somewhere. She'd been stabbed or something. She barely made it out alive. I heard it might have been you who did it."

Sato paused for a minute, obviously thinking. He took another drag from his cigarette, rolling his eyes to look up at the sky. "Oh!" he said, snapping his fingers. "That's right. That redheaded broad. Didn't know she survived that."

"So it was you," said Ryo, his eyes narrowing and a strange smile spreading across his face. It held an odd mix of anger, vengeance, and wickedness. "In that case…" That's when his resolve finally broke and he sent his fist right at Sato. Unprepared for the blow, the boy took it squarely in the cheek, stumbling backwards. He doubled over, holding his wounded face, his cigarette dropping to the ground.

"I get it," he said after a few moments, slowly looking up at Ryo. Even in the little light available, Ryo could see the bruise beginning to form on the boy's face. "You're her bitch or something, right?" Ryo delivered a quick kick to his stomach in response.

"I'm here to get revenge," he said dryly, his mask of friendliness long gone. "You've destroyed her, and you're going to pay,"

Sato snickered evilly. "Kid, let me give you a piece of advice." He said, standing up straight. He threw off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of the shirt underneath. "Never fight with a guy that has nothing to lose." And the fists flew.

* * *

"Not bad," remarked Sato, wiping blood from his lip. Both he and Ryo were breathing heavily, worn after only a few minutes time. Blood was dripping from a cut on Ryo's forehead, and he was pretty battered, but he had sufficed well besides. Sato was in the same condition, much to Ryo's anger. "You're fun kid," he said, only fueling Ryo's rage. "But I'm getting bored, so we're going to have to wrap this up." 

Ryo bared his teeth, much like an enraged animal. Then again, the description fit him rather well. He charged the careless Sato, dead set on wiping the smirk off of his face, and then his face right off his head. Unfortunately, in his rage, he didn't see Sato reach into his pocket and pull something out.

As Ryo charged, Sato dodged to the side gracefully, and then swung a fist around Ryo's back and into his shoulder. Ryo noticed that, for some reason, it hurt a lot more than it should have. Also, it didn't hurt the way a fist should. It was cold, and it stung terribly. It took a minute for him to realize what had happened; he'd been stabbed.

Quickly, he dove backwards, shouting as the metal was yanked from his shoulder. Blood spilled from the wound, the coppery smell making him sick. He stumbled, doing his best to clamp a hand over the wound and slow the bleeding. Before him, Sato held the blade up, giving him a triumphant grin.

"It was fun kid, but I'm afraid I can't go easy on you. Your little friend didn't know my name, see. She couldn't prove anything. But if I let you go, I'll have the police after me again. Can't have that…"

Ryo's eyes widened with horror, looking over his shoulder. He could run, that was for sure, but how far could he possibly get? Just as he was thinking this, Sato was suddenly before him, moving with cat-like grace. He delivered a well-placed punch to Ryo ribs, sending the boy to his knees.

"Night kid," said Sato simply. Ryo jumped backwards attempting to avoid the inevitable blow. However, he knew he'd never would. He wouldn't be able to move fast enough.

He'd been cocky coming down here. He'd thought for sure he could come back from this the victor, but apparently he'd overestimated himself. Now, not only was Rika not avenged, but he'd be dead to boot. He shut his eyes, bracing himself.

'Forgive me Rika,' he prayed in his last moments.

Then, two shouts brought his attention back to the outside world. One was Sato's. It was filled with shock and pain. The other was…

'No fricken' way,' thought Ryo, looking up. A certain redheaded girl was behind Sato, the heal of her foot digging into the back of his head.

"Pick on someone your own size you ass!" she screamed, grabbing his neck and slamming him backwards into the ground. Sato struggled to get up, and obviously would have done so, if Rika hadn't hit just the right spot on his neck. Slowly, Sato's body went limp, and his head fell back onto the concrete.

Slowly, Rika stood, breathing hard. She hadn't done much, but her body was still weak, and this had been a real strain. She kicked Sato in the side, though it wasn't as hard as she would have hoped.

"That's what you get, bastard," she said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. Said orbs slowly turned to look down at Ryo, who was gapping at her in disbelief. Rika was…Rika. She was herself again, the annoyance and all. He could tell by the look presently on her face.

"What are you staring at?" she barked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just had the element of surprise this time. His ass was mine from the beginning, so don't look surprised." She turned to walk away, calling over her shoulder. "Now, stop catching flies and come on. We can call the police at the payphone down the street. Besides, you said you were going to tell me about your trip to China."

* * *

And…cut! That's a wrap! 

Sorry if the ending was abrupt, but I'm rather happy with this ending. This chapter had a somewhat cute moment, but no cheesy make-out scene. I never really liked the cheesy make-out scenes, no offense to those of you that do. I just think that if someone can portray love, it's much better than if they have to say it, so that's what I shoot for in my writing. Did I do it well, or do I need to improve.

Also, I'm sorry I deprived you of most of the fight scene. See...I'm just...bad at fight scenes and whatnot. Plus, that part seemed a little pointless to many anyway. :sweatdrops:

Well, here we are, the ending. We've reached the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's time to say goodbye to this fic. Despite the hardships of this fic, I believe it turned out good, and I'm happy about it. Sure, it could have been better, just like everything else. Still, it wasn't horrible (I hope), and that's a good thing.

Now, for the dedications. Like with my other two fics, I'm dedicating this to everyone who has reviewed my story.

red rose

SMtogether

EvilQueen

DarkIcedPrincess

jessica

darkmizuki1

Bboyz

MakinoRuki

Violeteyesrika

KristiexxNguyen

RikaTabithaStarr

AkikoDove

surfergurl16

RyukiTJHA

GTKari-123

LuzrGurl13

rikagirls

alexian-goddess

Telly

Ao-Senshi

SilverRainbow223

Mah-Xien

Rika the fire heart

Hikari-Kawaii

Absolute-Darkness

RyukiObessed

karislight

karika88

RIKA

lxlriotgirlx

PERSON

:blinks: Wow. This list is the longest so far. Well, thanks to all you guys for all the support and help you gave me, even to those who didn't like it. Also, if you review this chapter, add your name to the list. :smiles:

Bye bye everybody! Keep reading, writing, and reviewing:hops on her magic carpet and flies away:

Sincerely,

Animeangelash


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